


Meeting Judy

by Impala_Chick



Category: Band of Brothers
Genre: 1950s, Banter, First Dates, Fluff, Getting Together, Kid Fic, M/M, Post-Canon, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-16
Updated: 2018-12-16
Packaged: 2019-09-19 22:19:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,662
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17010270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Impala_Chick/pseuds/Impala_Chick
Summary: The thing was, Joe hadn’t made it to the Easy Company five year reunion. The only reason David went, if he was being honest, was to see Joe again. He had wondered, ever since they parted ways at the end of the war, what it would have been like had they acted on the tension between them.





	Meeting Judy

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sfaradclaude](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sfaradclaude/gifts).



> I hope you enjoy. Happy Holidays! 
> 
> Thanks so much to ironpunk @AO3 for the beta!

The thing was, Joe hadn’t made it to the Easy Company five year reunion. The only reason David went, if he was being honest, was to see Joe again. He had wondered, ever since they parted ways at the end of the war, what it would have been like had they acted on the tension between them. He just wanted closure. So David called up Lipton, and asked for Joe’s address. 

And then he sat on that information for about a week, unsure what exactly he would say to Joe if he saw him again. But the more he thought about it, the more he wanted to see Joe’s face. Even if it was just one last time, to make sure he was okay. He had waited five years to talk to him, and it was silly that he should let another five years go by before he tried to make contact. He loaded up his new car with most of his clothes and his typewriter, drove from Los Angeles to San Francisco, and checked into a hotel room in the city by the bay.

The day after he arrived, a drizzly Saturday morning, David took a cab to Joe’s house just because he didn’t want to get lost. David took a deep breath outside Joe’s door, and then clacked the door knocker against it. He heard some shuffling around, the door opened a little, and then Joseph Liebgott was scowling up at him.

“Webster? What the fuck?” Joe’s hand was holding the door just wide enough for David to see his face. And he did not look pleased to see David.

“Hey, Joe. I just was in the neighborhood, and -” David tried for nonchalant. 

“How do you even know where I live?” Joe cut him off.

“I, uh. I asked Lipton,” Webster admitted. He couldn’t come up with a plausible lie fast enough.

“And he couldn’t give you my phone number so that you could call first?” 

“I’m sorry. Look, can I just come in?” 

“No.” Joe stepped outside and pulled the door closed behind himself. He ran a hand through his hair, and David tracked the movement of Joe’s hand. His hair was still thick and beautiful, and he kept it the same length as he had during the war. Joe’s face was pinched, like he was annoyed. Even still, seeing Joe alive and well made David feel accomplished. At least he’d made it this far, even if Joe didn’t want to see him.

“I don’t mean to impose, but you didn’t come to the reunion and I thought it might be good to catch up.” 

“Catch up? You make it sound like we’re old friends or something. Jesus Christ.” Joe crossed his arms, but the inflection of his voice sounded more surprised than angry. 

“Aren’t we?” David said, as he put his hands up in surrender. Joe’s face softened, and he flashed a smirk. 

“How about this. Let’s have lunch on Tuesday. I take my break at 11. We can meet at that Jewish deli on 24th and Shotwell.” 

“Really?” 

Joe looked at him with one of his eyebrows quirked up, clearly amused. “Yeah. See you then, Web.” 

“Okay. Yeah. See you then.” 

Afterwards, David barely remembered walking down Joe’s front steps to leave. He supposed he was too surprised by Joe being so… nice. He did, however, remember Joe smiling crookedly at him as he turned around. The gesture reminded David of Joe during the war, of how Joe’s smiles were at the top of the very short list of good things David had experienced in Europe. 

\---

When David walked into the deli on Tuesday, he immediately noticed Joe at the counter, ordering pastrami on rye. Joe looked over his shoulder and noticed David, too. The smile that curled at the corner of his lips immediately forced David’s heart to jump into his throat. 

Joe had a flat cap on, and the brim was pushed up until it was practically on top of his head. His checkered shirt was untucked from his light brown slacks. David pointedly looked up at the board that listed the sandwiches in order to stop staring. 

“What’ll ya have, Web?” Joe beckoned David up towards the counter.

“Same thing you’re having,” David said with a shrug. The cashier rang up their order as two thick pastrami sandwiches on white plates were placed on the counter. David got out his wallet to hand Joe some cash, but Joe shook his head. 

“I got this one,” Joe said as he paid and thanked the cashier. They sat at a table near the window, across from each other. Joe handed David his plate, and then didn’t waste any time unwrapping his sandwich. 

“So how’s things, Web?” Joe asked around a mouth full of pastrami. 

David felt his subconscious prodding him to run in the opposite direction, away from this tiny table where Joe was a local and he was just an intruder bringing back bad memories of the war when Joe had so clearly carved out a safe place for himself here. But David wasn’t ready to leave yet. 

“I’m… I write now.” David almost felt ashamed saying it, not because he wasn’t proud to be a writer, but because he figured Joe would think it a silly vocation. But Joe didn’t laugh.

“That probably suits you,” Joe said with a smile, the genuine kind that made his lips curl up at the corners. Joe looked so young when he smiled like that. Joe asked about David’s research, and about his family, and Los Angeles, and even about the reunion. David filled him in as best he could on all the gossip, and David was surprised at how easy it was for the two of them to talk like old friends. David found himself dreading the end of their lunch. Eventually Joe looked at his watch, and said he had to get back to work. They both stood up, and bumped shoulders as they walked over towards the cashier.

“You wanna meet up again?” Joe asked as he put their empty plates back on the counter. David felt his stomach flip, because that was the opposite of closure. That kind of question created hope for a future where he and Joe had some kind of relationship. David could afford to stick around for a bit longer, and the thought of seeing Joe again relieved the dread he was feeling. There wasn’t anyone waiting for him down in Los Angeles. As they walked outside, they agreed to meet on Friday at Joe’s house. David watched Joe climb behind the wheel of his cab.

“You need a ride anywhere?” Joe asked as the engine turned over. David leaned down into the passenger's side window and smiled.

“No, I want to go walk by the water. For research purposes,” David explained. Joe rolled his eyes, and David couldn’t help but find it enduring, just like he had all the times before when Joe teased him.

“Right. Well, enjoy.” As he drove off, David waved and tried not to read too much into Joe’s invitation.

\---

On Friday, David knocked on Joe’s door briskly, a bottle of Burgundy in hand. He fretted about the choice when realized he didn’t really know what Joe liked to drink, and panicked and grabbed a light dry red wine that would work with most foods. He vaguely wondered if it was too romantic, but then again Joe was the one who had invited him for dinner.

Joe pulled open the door with a flourish. “Get in here before the spaghetti sauce burns!” 

David obliged, and pulled the door closed after he walked in. He hung his jacket up on the coat rack in the foyer, and then followed Joe into the kitchen. It smelled like garlic and pasta and _comfort_ and David didn’t know what to do with himself. He stared at Joe in a white apron, who bent over to take garlic bread out of the oven. David couldn’t even remember the last time he cooked something from scratch, let alone went to a dinner party at someone else’s house and ate someone else's cooking.

“Set the table, would ya?” Joe pulled open a drawer to reveal silverware, and then swiftly turned around to get the pasta off the stove and strain it in the sink. David grabbed the forks with one hand and headed to the dining room, still carrying the wine. David tried to think back on his etiquette class in college but was drawing a blank. He figured he had a 50/50 chance of placing the forks on the correct side of the plates so he just plunked them down. Then, he noticed there was a candle in the middle, not yet lit. The table was fairly large, and could have seated at least four people, but it was set for only two - one person at each end. David debated just sitting down and waiting, but he figured that would be weird so he went back into the kitchen.

“You want to grab wine glasses?” Joe handed David a corkscrew and pointed to the cabinet on the far left. David opened it and pulled out two glasses. As he turned to go back into the dining room, he realized he hadn’t said a word since he’d walked in.

“I got a Burgundy, hope that’s okay,” David said. 

“Sounds great, albeit a little fancier than what I usually drink.” Joe looked over his shoulder and gave David a wink, and David immediately felt a little weak in the knees. He quickly went back into the dining room to open the wine. After he poured two generous glasses, he started to walk around the dining room and adjacent living room as a way to stave off his nerves, and because he was curious. 

The living room was small, but cozy. Plenty of room for Joe’s couch and shelves. He saw some copies of Flash Gordon stacked up and David smiled. Joe hadn’t been joking about that. But David also noticed a big box sitting on the bottom shelf, and he couldn’t help himself. He tugged it forward and peaked inside. There were some Tonka trucks amidst a very tangled slinky, a bunch of legos, and even a magic 8-ball. A great assortment of popular kids toys. David sat back, trying to deduce the reason a taxi driver would have a bunch of kid's toys. Maybe he just liked to keep the toys around because they reminded him of his childhood? But these toys were new. The magic 8-ball had recently made its debut. Was Joe a babysitter in his spare time?

He debated whether to ask Joe about it, but was relieved of making a decision when Joe walked in and caught with his hand in the cookie jar, so to speak.

“The food’s ready so,” Joe stopped mid-sentence and gasped a little when he saw David kneeling over the box of toys. David pushed the box back onto the shelf and stood up hastily, immediately feeling guilty. Joe’s face fell, but instead of getting mad, he looked disappointed.

“I shouldn’t have been looking in your stuff,” David blurted out. Joe wiped his hands on his apron, and David noticed him cross his arms.

Joe sighed heavily. “So, I guess you know now. I swear I was going to tell you, but I just wanted to have one nice dinner with you first before you turned tail.”

“Is this a date?” Webster was so caught up by the way Joe talked about dinner that he momentarily forgot about the toys. 

“The fuck did you think it was?” Joe smirked at him and uncrossed his arms. Color was spreading across his cheeks, but David knew for a fact he hadn’t had any wine yet, so there was only one explanation. David never would have guessed that he’d live to see Joseph Liebgott Jr. blush because of him. He was a little thunderstruck at the sight, but Joe turned away and stomped back out into the dining room. David then remembered what had started this whole conversation. 

“Wait, what are the toys for?” David asked as he followed Joe. 

Joe grabbed his wine glass and took a healthy sip, and then leveled a deathly glare at David. “I swear to God, David Kenyon Webster. If I didn’t already know you went to Harvard, I would call you a dumbass.”

David felt emboldened by Joe’s feigned anger. They were back in familiar territory, so he teased him back. “You remember my alma mater. That’s real sweet, Lieb.”

Joe set down his wine glass and leaned forward, his eyes watching David’s face intently as he spoke. “Her name is Judith, and she’s four.”

Finally, it clicked. Joe had a kid. Maybe that explained why Joe was different now, more mature. It seemed like he had moved on from the war, but maybe because he had to. Joe was watching David process the information, his mouth pressed in a thin line.

“And if that’s a fuckin’ problem, I don’t want to make you stick around.” Joe’s voice came out harsh, angry. This was familiar, too. Joe was looking for a fight, but David wouldn’t be the one to incite him. So he cut him off before he could really wind up. 

“Jesus christ. I don’t care that you have a kid. I mean, I care in the sense that she’s a part of your life now, but that’s it. Let’s have dinner, okay?” 

Joe’s shoulders visibly relaxed, and the tension drained from the room. “Sure, Web. I’d like that.”

Joe untied his apron and tossed it on the counter in the kitchen, and David followed to get the spaghetti bowl. Joe grabbed the rest of the food and they headed back into the dinning room. 

Seated across from Joe, David got to take in the sight of him smiling and laughing as they ate. And the food was delicious. David asked Joe about work, and his house, and even Judith. Joe’s face lit up when he talked about her, and he was obviously proud of her. He said that she stayed with him on weekends, and that she loved to talk and play with Tonka trucks. Clearly, being a dad was a good look for Joe. David could feel how important she was to him.

“Was she here last time? When I stopped by?” David asked, as he thought about how freaked out Joe had been.

“Yep. And that was _not_ the time to meet her,” Joe said pointedly. 

“But I do want to meet her,” David said, totally serious. Joe’s eyebrows shot up into his hairline as his eyes grew wide. David kept right on eating his spaghetti, waiting expectantly. 

“Why?” Joe finally asked after his eyebrows relaxed a bit. 

David shrugged, trying to act nonchalant. “She’s important to you.” 

Joe smiled softly at David, the kind of smile that David quickly tried to memorize before he ducked his gaze down. He didn’t want to keep staring, but it was tempting. 

“I’ll consider it. Wouldn’t want her to pick up any of your bad habits.” Joe was smiling again, like a huge tease. David was sure he was sweating through his shirt at this rate. 

David got up to clear the plates, and Joe followed him into the kitchen. David turned on the faucet, but Joe gestured towards the living room. “Just leave them. Let’s sit on the couch or something.” They were coming up to the moment David had been dreading since he saw Joe in that apron. How was he supposed to concentrate on small talk when all he wanted to do was _touch_? His body ached with it, now that it seemed much more likely that Joe was interested. But he sure as hell wasn’t ready to leave, either. He was going to have to control himself or find a good time to make a move.

They both picked up their wine glasses and headed into the living room, and David put his glass on the table before sitting down. Joe sat down next to him, close enough for the knees to knock together, and David didn’t know what to do with his hands. Well, he knew what he _wanted_ to do with his hands, but he settled for placing them on his thighs.

“Web, why are ya blushing?” Joe elbowed him in the ribs, careful not to tip his own wine glass. He was leaning so close, David could count his eyelashes. 

“I, uh. Fuck it.” David pressed his lips to Joe’s, squeezed his eyes shut, and willed whatever gods were listening to keep Joe from punching him. 

Miraculously, nothing happened. David pulled back and cracked one eye open hesitantly. 

“ _That’s_ how you kiss, Web? Jesus Christ, have you never kissed a man before?” Joe spoke confidently, but David tracked how Joe was squeezing his own thighs so hard that his knuckles were turning white. 

“You talk a big game, but can you back it up?” David taunted.

“Enough talking,” Joe growled as he surged forward. His teeth clacked against David’s at first but then they both settled into the kiss. David _finally_ got to touch, so he snaked his left hand around Joe to grip his right hip and pull him closer. Joe’s skin was hot, even through his shirt. His tongue slid along David’s bottom lip, and David opened his mouth in invitation. Joe’s lips were soft and wet and he tasted like the Burgundy they had been drinking. David couldn’t breathe properly so he gasped against Joe’s mouth instead of pulling away. Joe pushed his hand under David’s shirt right then, so David didn’t really give a flying fuck if he ever breathed properly again. But then Joe’s hand reached all the way up to David’s nipple, and David felt him rub his fingertip against it. David yelped in surprise, and Joe pulled back with the silliest grin on his face.

“Second base,” Joe crowed in triumph.

“Don’t be such a bastard,” David chastised. And then they were necking on the couch again. David smoothed his palm against Joe’s cheek and ran his fingers through Joe’s thick hair and he felt so _free_. 

“Damn, Joe,” David said as they rested their foreheads against each other, panting from all the effort. 

“You blown away already?” Joe teased as he looked at David cross-eyed. David was sure he looked like that too, with their faces pressed so close together. 

“What now?” David asked, ignoring Joe's teasing. He didn’t want to push his luck, but he would have done anything Joe wanted him to do at that point. Joe's smile faltered slightly at the question.

“Web, you can’t stay. It’s late and Judy’s mom is going to drop Judy off pretty early tomorrow morning.” Joe sound regretful. 

“I get it, it’s fine. Really. This is already so much more than I expected,” David said quickly. “You’re great. This is great.” David kissed the corner of Joe’s mouth to stop himself from rambling.

Joe grinned and squeezed David’s hand before he got up from the couch. 

“Were you serious about meeting Judy?” Joe asked as he retrieved David’s coat from the coat rack. 

“Of course,” David replied, and meant it. Joe turned around and held out the coat to David, who purposefully touched Joe’s hand as he reached for it. David’s fingers lingered against Joe’s hand, and David’s whole body felt on fire. He knew he had to go, but his body was protesting mightily. 

“Have you ever even talked to a kid, Web?” Joe asked. David shrugged. He couldn’t think of a time he had.

“If she’s anything like you, I can just let her do the talking,” David joked. 

“Well, I have to figure out how to explain who you are. Lunch on Tuesday again? How long are you in town, anyway?” Joe asked.

David balked at the question. After he decided he would stay, he hadn’t really made a plan about when to leave. 

“I freelance, so I really don’t have to head back right away. I could stick around for a bit,” David finally answered.

He’s rewarded for his trouble by the sight of Joe’s bright smile. “Well, I can work with that.” 

Joe tipped his head up and David leaned down to kiss him. It was just a soft press of lips, but David’s heart was pounding when he said good night.

\---

It took three weeks, three lunch dates, and seven dinner dates before Joe agreed to let David meet Judy. David felt like he’d won some kind of victory when Joe proposed the meeting, because it meant that Joe thought things were going well. 

“Let’s just meet down at Fisherman’s wharf and walk around, grab some seafood. Tomorrow, for lunch. The three of us.” Joe looked up at David, that soft smile on his face again. 

“Sure,” David agreed easily. He kissed Joe goodbye with a soft brush of lips, and stepped outside the front door. Kissing Joe goodbye had become commonplace, at least when David was leaving Joe's house, and David’s heart soared at the realization. David gave Joe a little wave, and headed down the street to his hotel, whistling. 

\--- 

David arrived at their appointed meeting spot early and sat down on a bench. He was struck by the sight of all of the fog that had enveloped the bay, and he took out his notebook and pencil to jot down a few ideas. He generally didn’t go very far without it. Even though he intended to write about the way the mist seemed to be dissipating slowly over the ocean, like cigarette smoke, he idly started to daydream about the way Joe kissed. As David would have expected, Joe’s advances had always been brazen and bold, and he was not at all shy with his tongue. But David couldn’t help but contrast that with his softness, like the way he had cooked dinner for David several times, or the way he smiled when he wasn’t sure if David was watching. 

He was so wrapped up in his thoughts he didn’t even notice Joe and his daughter until they called out to him, only a few feet away. 

Judy had a little purple hat on, and she was holding Joe’s hand. She was smiling, and she waived at David. She was the spitting image of Joe, right down to his toothy smile. 

“Hey, kiddo,” David said in greeting. He looked up at Joe and nodded before he got up off the bench. He clasped his own hands together and tried not to act awkward, but he wasn’t sure what to do.

Judy didn’t seem to notice David's hesitation as she introduced herself. “Hi I’m Judy and I’m four and we are going to visit the Sea Lions my favorite is named Cecil the Sea Lion.” She only paused in order to take a breath.

David bent down so he was almost eye level with her. “Cool. I like the Sea Lions too. I might write about them in my book.” 

She beamed at him and dropped Joe’s hand to clap excitedly. “You’re writing a book? Neat. I want to be in it.” 

“Judy! You just met David, he doesn’t have to put you in his book,” Joe scolded, his face very serious as he looked down at her. David grinned between the pair of them. Seeing Joe being such a _Dad_ was both weird and endearing. 

“It’s okay,” David said quickly. He really didn’t mind. 

“Okay. Let’s go see Cecil!” Judy grabbed David’s hand and pulled him off towards the pier. He followed along, and snuck a glance over his shoulder at Joe, who grinned at him and shrugged. 

Judy excitedly pointed at all the sea lions as they reached the edge of the pier. “They can swim really fast! They like to eat fish! They have long whiskers!” Judy told David as she gazed at the sea lions, her eyes huge. 

“They are bigger than you, Judy! You’re not afraid of them?” David asked, curious.

“No way. I want to hug one. Dad said I can’t have one in the house. They have to be in the ocean. It’s bigger than our house,” she explained.

“That makes sense. The ocean is really big,” David said as he looked over at Joe. He was wearing a gray button up sweater, he had his hands shoved deep into his pant pockets, and his hair was tousled from the breeze coming off the Bay. He looked up from Judy and met David’s eyes, and he looked so beautiful it was almost painful. 

David turned back to the child he was here to impress. He didn’t know how Joe would react if Judy didn’t like him, but he knew it would mean he wouldn't get to hang out with both of them again. “My book is actually about the ocean, Judy.” David figured she would get a kick out of that, and indeed she did. She smiled up at him, and then turned to the sea lions to tell them all about her day. Joe scooted closer to David until their elbows touched. 

“She likes to talk, sorry about that,” Joe said.

“She’s cute,” David said as he waved off Joe’s comment. He meant it, too. She was adorable. “You guys come here every weekend?” 

“Just about.” Joe scuffed the toe of his boot against the ground. “Listen, I was thinking…” Joe trailed off, and David looked around nervously. There wasn’t anyone else within earshot except Judy, who was still talking a mile a minute at the sea lions. David braced himself for bad news.

“I, uh. Are you still going to go back to Los Angeles?” Joe was avoiding David’s gaze, but now David saw his nervousness for what it really was. Joe was worried he was leaving.

“Why? You want me to stay, you big softie? Buy a ring, settle down?” David teased.

“Fuck you, Web. Don’t be so fuckin’ stupid,” Joe shot back, his voice low. He elbowed David in the ribs, and David elbowed him back.

“Language around the kid, sheesh.” David was joking around, but his body tingled where Joe had elbowed him. David couldn’t help but picture the three of them here on the pier next weekend, and the next weekend, and the weekend after that. It was so all so domestic, but David loved the idea of it.

“I like your kid, Joe. I like your town. If you’re asking me to stay for awhile, I might be persuaded,” David said with a grin. Joe looked at him them, his eyes soft and happy.

“I’m sure that hotel room is getting pretty boring by now. I’ve got the other bedroom, you know. You could just move in,” Joe said softly as he scuffed his boot along the pier. David sucked in a breath.

“You’re right,” David quickly replied, playing along. “The hotel room isn’t ideal. It doesn’t even have a kitchen. But I’ll warn you, my typewriter can be a little loud.” David was bursting at the seams with how happy he felt. Joe was asking him to move in, so he must have been doing something right. 

“That’ll be fine, Web. That’s just fine.” Joe clapped him on the shoulder, and let his hand linger just a little longer than necessary, before he turned back to Judy.

“Kiddo, you ready for lunch?” 

She nodded enthusiastically. “David is coming, right?” She smiled up at David, and David’s heart grew at least two sizes as he took Judy’s outstretched hand.

“Yeah, he is,” Joe answered easily. He was looking at David intently. David didn't flinch away from his gaze until Judy tugged his hand. As Judy pulled him along, Joe walked on David’s other side, and let their arms and shoulders bump as they walked.

Yeah, David could get used to this.


End file.
